The trust, which runs Heatherwood in Ascot and Wexham Park in Slough, was spending £1.8 million in September on agency staff, which was reduced to £800,000 by February.

It fell into debt after the previous management ran up huge bills on employing agency staff.

The current management is now working to decrease the debt and pay off loans to the NHS.

Ms Slinger told the committee that despite the reduction the trust was still more expensive than equivalent local hospitals and that work would continue to reduce costs.

A major decision is on the horizon for the trust with the proposed permanent closure of the Ascot Birth Centre at Heatherwood. The centre closed temporarily last year due to low staff numbers, but the trust is pushing for a permanent closure due to low birth numbers.

The trust is running a Shaping the Future consultation and will make a decision in the autumn.

Ms Slinger said: “Given the low demand for the service – fewer than 200 women a year were choosing Heatherwood as a birthing unit – the service had become unsustainable and unsafe. Further, there was a national shortage of midwives and it had become difficult to sustain staffing levels at Heatherwood.

“In addition, standards of care had massively increased, leading to the need for much more qualified staff. All of these factors led to the birthing unit at Heatherwood becoming unsustainable.

“The decision to move community midwife services to Frimley Park had been based on patient choice and the hospital at which women were choosing to give birth.”